Countrywide Surveying Services’ Future Insight Forum delivers key industry insights

06 February 2025

Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), a leading provider of property risk management, valuations, and customer surveys in the UK, has successfully hosted its inaugural Future Insight Forum, bringing together senior lender stakeholders and property risk professionals from across the lending sector.

The event provided a platform for in-depth discussions on the key challenges and opportunities shaping the property market today, alongside emerging trends in valuations, technology, and home condition surveys.

The agenda featured expert insights and engaging discussions, including:

Understanding the current property market: Challenges & opportunities – Keynote session featuring Aneisha Beveridge, Head of Research at Hamptons, who provided a data-driven analysis of market trends, affordability pressures, and investment dynamics, followed by an interactive Q&A session.

Property valuations: Quality assurance, transparency, and the future – A deep dive into how valuation standards are evolving to meet specialisms and market expectations with a focus on quality, speed to decision and improving the home buying process.

Technology – Revolutionising property inspections and the use of data – Evaluating the latest innovations transforming property inspections, from AI-driven analytics to digital survey tools, and their impact on risk assessment and decision-making.

Home Condition Surveys – Exploring the role of the home condition report, looking at ways to further enhance and provide information to the purchaser and improving overall education of the consumer.

Reflecting on the event, Matthew Cumber, Managing Director at Countrywide Surveying Services, commented:

"Our inaugural Future Insight Forum was designed to foster meaningful conversations that shape the future of property risk assessment—and it duly delivered.

“As market conditions continue to evolve, collaboration between lenders, valuers, and industry leaders is essential to driving innovation, enhancing transparency, and maintaining the highest standards in property valuation. Discussions throughout the day reinforced the critical role of technology, data, and expertise in navigating the challenges ahead. And we, as a business, remain committed to supporting lenders with industry-leading expertise and innovative solutions going forward.”